Tag Archives: Africa

Dreaming Under Mosquito Net

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Credit unknown

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Slim Paley photo

Sunrise, Africa

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Taschen

A cup of tea, some wonderful books and mosquito netting= Heaven

You have no idea how long I’ve been working on this post. You must understand what the mere glimpse of mosquito netting does to my heart rate in order to appreciate how much I adore these images, particularly the one above, which actually faded away to a mere ghost on my bulletin board. I like to imagine it was taken on a boat in India, so if you know otherwise, please don’t shatter my fantasy.

 The photo above it, I snapped just as the sun was rising at the foot of our bed in Africa. I shot it in panorama, which unfortunately doesn’t fit on the blog.

It’s one of the best memories of the best holiday I’ve ever taken with my family.

 Like the sweet scent of coconut oil, the scraping of palm fronds against a tin roof, the slow creak of an ancient ceiling fan,

the fine veil of mosquito netting sends me off to Blissville.

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Romantic in theory…

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A very happy Slim

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Calvin Cottar’s 1920′s Safari Camp, Africa

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Love the cloistered effect of the nets beneath the recessed arch

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and this grey & lavender combination is sublime

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another old favourite

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Slim Paley photo

Mosquito netting in a guest bedroom in my home

(I think I’ve had more bats fly into my house than mosquitoes, but that’s another story)

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Don’t you just love when you come back to your room and your towel is a swan?!

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Leopard Hills, Kruger Park, Africa

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Baroness Fiona Thyssen-Bornemisza

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Slim Paley photo

Coffee tastes better under mosquito netting

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Image Joseph Walsh

Ash and Organza silk “Enignum” Canopy Bed by Joseph Walsh

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Black mosquito netting- How very Tom Ford

I might have to try this somewhere…

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Slim Paley photo

Battambang, Cambodia (I tie scarves around lights that are too bright :) )

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Me. Here. Now.

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Sabora, Africa

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Slim Paley Photo

My babies sleeping under the netting in Africa

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Slim Paley photo

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Hell, it works anywhere…

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I see some mosquito netting in my very near future…stay tuned :-)

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~

From the Jungle to the Sea

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Slim Paley photo  ………………. A shelf in the library

From the jungle to the sea…the animal and the mineral (for argument’s sake I’m going to call coral a mineral, even though I’ve watched Planet Earth and know better) I adore this combination both in the home and the wardrobe.  It’s such a chic marriage of two classics that somehow manages to never get old and when paired with black, depending on the fabric, can work all year round. You’ve gotta love those investment pieces you wear so much they eventually amortize  into being FREE, right?!  I have some coral bracelets that have practically started to earn interest  (phew- that’s enough ‘finance‘ talk for Slim- my heads spinning!)  Luckily for all of us Leopard Lovers (and no, not real leopard of course) there’s no scarcity of it this season or in the Fall.  I could have gone on compiling this post for days!

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Balmain Fall 2010

Love love love

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Alexis Bittar cuff

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Giambattista Valli

Such an adorable dress

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Hermes

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photo from Wikipedia

.I’m crazy about this bag and luckily have lost the info.  If you know who made it, don’t tell me.

(pssst…just whisper it really fast)

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Giambattista Valli

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Celine Leopard print on pony ‘Cabas’ zippered bag Fall 2010

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Great book

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Giambattista Valli

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Tippy Hedren’s great coral lipstick in The Birds

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Jean Paul Gaultier

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Pierre Hardy shoes.

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Slim Paley photo

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Giambattista Valli is the man to go to for leopard this season!  available on Net-a-porter.com


.Kenneth Jay Lane enamel cuff

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Rochas Fall 2010

I didn’t like these at all at first, but now…kind of liking- funny that!

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Mawi London Cocktail ring

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Lanvin ( earmuffs??)

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Jacques Grange living room.

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Hermes

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Giambatista Valli

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Some lovely armchair traveling

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.and I love coral toenail polish for summer!


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Max Mara


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Photo “V” Magazine………..A……..

Oh- awkaard….I almost wore this, but with earrings  :)

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Slim Paley photo

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Are you animal or mineral, or both, like me?!

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THE BOLTER

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You didn’t know I collected Pith helmets did you?!

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The “Great Beauty” Lady Idina Sackville

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Well, there I go again…finishing a book that I really didn’t like very much.  And the worst part is, the longer I kept reading and not enjoying it, the more annoyed I’d get with myself which of course made it even worse.  Hate that!  I suppose I hung in there this time, despite my New Year resolution because The Bolter received such good reviews.  Much like “The Help”, I forged on, thinking something was going to redeem the book for me.  Anyway, here is The Bolter boiled down;

Exceptionally self-centered British hedonist, who scores way more attractive husbands than she rightly deserves (Hello, 5)  lives a life totally free from convention and the stifling stays of Edwardian society in the wilds of Africa at the expense of her two small boys she abandons back in England.  She builds a couple of beautiful houses, installs a mirror over her bed and sleeps with all the neighbours.  I can honestly say there was not a single thing I read about this woman that made her appealing or interesting to me in any way.  Alright, not completely true. She called the home she built in Kenya “Clouds”.  I love that.  That’s it.   In addition to Lady Sackville being rather a loathsome character, I have never seen “The Happy Valley Crowd” portrayed in a more boring light.  Trust me, that’s no easy feat!  Rent “White Mischief” and you’ll see what I’m talking about.   I hate to be negative, for there is probably no one more obsessed with the whole Edwardian-Colonial- British Empire- The Raj- “I say, where did I lay my pith helmet, Old Boy?” thing  than me, but in my humble opinion this book was a bit of an over-rated trifle.

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I knew this postcard would come in handy someday!

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The upside is I feel like such a good wife now, it’s time for some guilt-free shopping!

A little music for shopping ;  



Givenchy- Bergdorf Goodman

Botega Venetta Glasses

Dolce & Gabanna Fringed Safari goes BoHo bag

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The Leica Safari Edition and leather carrying case- nice!

Isabel Marant Spring 2010  For Tent Clubbing

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Available on Amazon

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Guiseppe Zanotti boot- perfect for evening safaris!

Gorgeous African beads


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A much more interesting book about  admirable  Women Adventurers

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Slim Paley photo

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Slim Paley Photo

Night falls in Tanzania

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Zip your tents!

Africa Redux

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Pretty much Heaven

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The sun rises over Africa, taken from the bedroom of our second destination

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A slice of Heaven at the Samburu “Save the Elephants” camp run by Iain and Oria Douglas-Hamilton

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Posting that  amazing picture of my pilates trainer in Africa sparked my desire to look through the photos I took when our family went on safari a couple of years ago.  We visited Kenya and Tanzania, and stayed at 4 different camps, each unforgettable and spectacular in their own unique way.  My personal favourite was Cottar’s 1920′s Mara Safari Camp as it fulfilled my every fantasy of an African Safari Experience (read; pith helmets and gramophones- Meryl in that outfit she wears when she first steps off the train- you get the picture) We had the great pleasure of being hosted by Calvin Cottar himself, whose family goes back generations in Africa.  We also adored The Samburu Elephant Watch camp (our boy’s favourite) run by the amazing Iain and Oria Douglas- Hamilton in Kenya.  Such happy memories of our arrival in a thunderous downpour of rain; hot tea and biscuits swiftly served (and even more swiftly stolen by cheeky monkeys!) followed by a stunning sunset and suspenseful Jenga tournaments between our boys and Sambu warriors, with Oria and Iain cheering on. It was our very first day and our only rainstorm in Africa and we couldn’t have been more cozy nestled in the gorgeous colourful tents of Samburu.  Bliss- I want to go back right now!   One or two G & T’s and I might even try suspending myself off the roll bar of a jeep too!

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Slim Paley photo

A Very Special Day

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Stormy skies overhead

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The main tent at Calvin Cottar’s 1920′s Safari Camp

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Calvin Cottar’s camp tent

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The last spot on our itinerary was Singhita, another Colonial Lover’s dream destination;

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Singhita Camp, Tanzania

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Singhita Camp, Tanzania

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Singhita Camp, Tanzania

Now this is my kind of tent :)

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Calvin Cottar’s 1920′s camp

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100_1856Slim Paley photo (the loo in the tent at Singhita)

Best Porto Potty Ever??

Damn I love camping!!

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